Custom fit sale of footwear

ABSTRACT

A method whereby a customer may purchase footwear through a remote communication channel, and be assured that the purchased footwear will properly fit upon delivery. The customer purchases footwear by designating the last that is used to construct the footwear. A customer may identify a particular last based upon careful measurement of the customer&#39;s feet. A customer may also identify a last based upon previous experience with footwear constructed using the last.

This application is related to U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,098 to Daniel R.Potter, issued Feb. 3, 1998, which patent is incorporated entirelyherein by reference. This application is also related to U.S. Pat. No.5,879,725 to Daniel R. Potter, issued Mar. 9, 1999, which patent isincorporated entirely herein by reference as well.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the sale of custom-fitted footwear. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to a method and data structure forselling footwear to individual customers. With the invention, a customerselects footwear based upon the last used to manufacture the footwear,so that the customer obtains footwear custom-fitted for the customer'sfeet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Consistently obtaining footwear that fits properly has long been aproblem for footwear customers. Similarly, footwear manufacturers havelong sought to ensure that customers receive properly fitting footwear,in order to maintain their customers' satisfaction. Even with moderntechnology, however, this goal has proven elusive. One problem withsizing footwear is that different models of footwear are typicallymanufactured using different lasts. Even if two different models offootwear are made by the same manufacturer and are labeled as the samesize, they may still have different shapes. Thus, a customer who may becomfortable with the fit of a first model of footwear in, for example, asize 9 length and a size D width may not enjoy the fit of a second,different model of footwear having the same length and width sizes. Forthat second model of footwear, the customer may instead find that a size8½ length and size E width provides the most comfortable fit.

Because of this inconsistency in the sizing of footwear, many potentialfootwear customers are reluctant to buy footwear without trying it onfirst to ensure a proper fit. These customers will not purchase footwearthrough the mail, by telephone, over the Internet, or through any otherform of remote communication. Unfortunately, shoe manufacturers cannotmake their footwear physically available in all possible models andsizes to all potential customers. For footwear manufactures that offereven a small range of footwear models, the cost of providing a sample ofeach model in each size to every footwear retailer would beprohibitively expensive. Further, most footwear retailers would not havethe space to store and display a sample of each footwear model in eachavailable size for more than a handful of footwear manufacturers. As aresult, most shoe manufactures lose an unknown number of potentialfootwear sales each year, simply because customers cannot physically tryon a desired model of footwear before purchase. Moreover, many of thosecustomers who do purchase footwear remotely receive footwear that doesnot properly fit, and are dissatisfied with their purchases.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Advantageously, the present invention provides a method whereby acustomer may purchase footwear through a remote communication channel,and be assured that the purchased footwear will properly fit upondelivery. According to the invention, a customer purchases footwear byspecifying the last that is used to construct the footwear. A customermay identify a particular last based upon careful measurement of thecustomer's feet. A customer may also identify a last based upon previousexperience with footwear that was constructed using the last.

A customer may directly specify a last according to, for example, a lastmodel number alone or a last model number in combination with aparticular last size. Alternately, or additionally, the shoe providermay employ a data structure to correlate a customer's identity with oneor more particular lasts that provide properly fitting shoes for thecustomer. The customer can then inherently select a particular last usedto construct the footwear by providing his or her identity when orderingthe model of desired footwear. By explicitly or inherently designatingthe last from which the footwear is constructed, the customer can ensurethat the footwear is constructed to properly fit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a shoe distribution center for providing shoes to aplurality of customers according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a method for providing custom-fitted shoes according to oneembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate information contained in orders for custom-fittedshoes according to various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a shoe distribution center for providing shoes to aplurality of customers according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 shows a customer/last database according to an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a shoe distribution center 101 for providing shoes toa plurality of customers 103. As seen in this figure, the customers 103can communicate with the distribution center 101 using one or more of avariety of remote communication channels, so that the customers 103 donot have to be physically present at the distribution center 101.Customer 103A, for example, may order shoes from the distribution center101 by a parcel service 105, such as the U.S. Postal Service, UnitedParcel Service (UPS), Federal Express, or any other suitable parcelservice. Customer 103B may submit an order for footwear to thedistribution center 101 using a telephone service 107. As will beappreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, the telephone servicemay be an ordinary PSTN telephone service, a wireless telephone service,or any combination thereof. Further, the customer 103B may submit theorder using voice instructions (either to a person or to a recordingdevice), or transmit written ordering instructions using a facsimilemachine.

Some customers, such as customer 103C, may order footwear from thedistribution center 101 via an electronic communication network 109.Perhaps the most well known example of such an electronic communicationnetwork 109 that may be used to order footwear from the distributioncenter 101 is the Internet, but those of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that other network arrangements, such as intranets, localarea networks, or other types of wide area networks may also be employedby customer 103C to order footwear from the footwear distribution center101.

With this arrangement, the footwear distribution center 101 may providethe customer with one or more pages written in a markup language, suchas the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or the Extensible MarkupLanguage (XML) (i.e., a Website). The pages may, for example, displayvarious footwear models currently available from the distribution center101, along with ordering information instructing the customer 103C onthe procedure to order footwear from the distribution center 101. Thepages may also include one or more interactive questionnaires requestingordering information from the customer 103C. Such information willtypically include the customer's shipping address, billing information,and the footwear model desired by the customer. The questionnaires willalso request the customer 103C to directly or indirectly specify thelast used to manufacture the footwear, as will be explained in detailbelow. Using a computer with a software program for viewing the pages(i.e., a browser), the customer 103C can then select and order aparticular model of footwear from the distribution center 101 byresponding to the questionnaires over the communication network 109.

Other customers, such as customer 103D, may instead order footwear fromthe distribution center 101 through an electronic mail service 111. Ofcourse, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that theelectronic mail service 111 can be implemented using an electroniccommunication network 109 as described above. The electronic mailservice 111 may also be implemented using, for example, a directcommunication connection with the distribution center 101 through atelephone call to the distribution center using a modem.

Still other customers may use another communication channel that permitsa customer to remotely order footwear from the footwear distributioncenter 101. In fact, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciatethat various embodiments of the invention may be implemented using anycombination of desired remote communication channels.

It will also be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art thatthe information used to order footwear may be obtained from any suitablesource. As noted above, for example, a customer 103C may view orderinginformation provided on HTML pages through the communications network109. Alternately, a customer may obtain ordering information throughprint advertisements, catalogs, television, or any other suitablesource. The ordering information may include, for example, the footwearmodels available at the distribution center 101, the color schemesavailable for each model, price, or other characteristics of thefootwear. Further, the ordering information may include customizinginformation, such as names or images that are available to becustom-applied to the footwear being ordered.

Turning now to the footwear distribution center 101, the center 101includes a footwear order-receiving unit 113, which receives thefootwear orders from customers 103 provided through the remotecommunication channels, and a footwear supply unit 115, which suppliesfootwear according to the customers' orders. More particularly, thefootwear supply unit 115 includes a footwear inventory 117 containingone or more models of footwear in a variety of sizes, and a footwearmanufacturing unit 121. The footwear manufacturing unit 121 has a lastinventory 121 containing a plurality of lasts in different sizes, and aheating unit 123 for heating the lasts to modify footwear from thefootwear inventory 117, as will be explained in detail below.

As previously noted, the footwear order-receiving unit 113 receives thefootwear orders from customers 103. The order-receiving unit 113 mayinclude a number of different components, depending upon the remotecommunication channels supported by the distribution center 101. Forexample, if the distribution center 101 communicates with customers 103through an electronic communication network 109 (such as the Internet),then the receiving unit 113 may be include fully automated componentsfor processing a customer's order. These components of the receivingunit 113 may be embodied, for example, by a server computer thatreceives footwear orders from the customer 103C and relays those orderson to the footwear supply unit 115. Similarly, if the footweardistribution center 101 supports remote communication with customers 103through a telephone service 107, the order receiving unit 113 mayinclude a fully automated voice menu system that allows customer 103B toorder footwear using a telephone handset keypad or voice instructions inresponse to a series of audible prompts. If the operation of thefootwear supply unit 115 is fully automated, then the customer 113 mayorder footwear without human intervention.

If the distribution center 101 supports communication channels thatrequire a human interpretation of messages, then the order-receivingunit 113 will include human personnel. For example, with someembodiments of the footwear distribution center 101, the order-receivingunit 113 includes an operator to receive and understand voiceinstructions from a customer 103B over the telephone system 107. If thedistribution center 101 receives written communications from customers103 via a parcel system 105 or electronic mail system 111, then theorder receiving unit 113 will include human readers to read andinterpret footwear orders conveyed in the mail messages from thecustomers 103.

Referring back to the footwear supply unit 115, the footwear inventory117 contains at least one model of footwear in a variety of sizes. As isknown in the art, each pair of footwear is formed using a last, whichdefines the shape of the footwear. Additionally, the interior of eachpair of footwear incorporates a moldable fit-component that allows eachshoe to be remolded to lengths and widths differing from its originallength and width. The last inventory 121 then includes a number ofheatable lasts or mold cores that can be used to remold the length andwidth of the footwear in footwear inventory 117 to the length and widthof the heatable last. In this manner, the shape of each piece offootwear in the footwear supply unit 115 can be resized using a lastfrom the last inventory 121.

Preferably, the footwear inventory 117 includes the model of footwear inintermediate size increments. The last inventory 121 then includes lastsfor molding footwear to length and width sizes that are not representedin the inventory 117. With one embodiment of the invention, for example,the footwear inventory 117 includes at least one style of stock shoes inrelatively small size increments (e.g., standard half sizes) over a widerange of lengths. Thus, the stock shoes may range from length size 6 tosize 14, and in full size increments for length sizes between 14 and 20.The stock shoes all have the same width (e.g., size “C”), or have one ormore different widths for each length. The last inventory 121 thenincludes lasts for each desired length and width size increment (e.g.,each ¼ length size increment for lengths ranging from size 6 to 13½ andeach ½ length size increment for lengths ranging from size 13½ to 20,and each width increment for width sizes D, E and EE). The features andoperation of such a footwear supply unit 115 are described in moredetail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,714,098 and 5,879,725 to Daniel R. Potter,which were incorporated entirely herein by reference above.

With this arrangement, the footwear supply unit 115 can thus producefootwear in a variety of desired sizes by using a specific last size.For example, with the above embodiment, if a customer ordered aparticular model of shoes with a length of size 8½ and a width of size“C,” the footwear inventory 117 already includes footwear manufacturedwith a last of that shape. Thus, the footwear supply unit 115 couldsupply the ordered shoes directly out of the footwear inventory 117. Onthe other hand, if a customer ordered a particular model of shoes with alength of size 8¼ and a width of size “E,” the footwear supply unit 115could supply the shoes by reforming stock shoes (from the footwearinventory 117) with a last of size 8¼ and a width of size “E” (from thelast inventory 121).

With some embodiments of the invention, the lasts in the last inventory121 have the same overall shape as the lasts used to make the stockshoes in the footwear inventory 117. By using the same last (that is,the same last shape) to both initially construct shoes in the footwearinventory 117 and subsequently modify these shoes, a customer may easilydetermine a properly fitting shoe size for a particular model of shoe.For example, a customer may know that, with a last of shape A, aproperly fitting shoe will have a length of size 8¼ and a width of size“E,” whereas, with a last of shape B, a properly fitting shoe will alength of size 8½ and a width of size “C.” If the lasts in the lastinventory 121 and the lasts used to make the stock shoes in the footwearinventory 117 both include lasts of the same shape (for example, lastsof shape B), by specifying a particular last (that is, by specifying alast of a particular shape and size), a customer can confidently ordercustom-fitted footwear that will fit properly. Thus, with the aboveexample, the customer will know that, when ordering a shoe constructedwith the last of shape B, to order footwear with a length of size 8½ anda width of size “C,” rather than a length of size 8¼ and a width of size“E.”

Of course, other embodiments of the invention may employ differentlyshaped lasts to construct the footwear in footwear inventory 117 thanare stored in last inventory 121.

With these embodiments, the footwear inventor 117, may, for example,keep a greater number of lasts with smaller size increments in the lastinventory 121 than the previously described embodiments. Thus, the lastinventory 121 may include lasts for each ¼ size increment from size 6 to13½ and each ½ length size increment for lengths ranging from size 13½to 20, and each width increment for width sizes D, E and EE. With theseembodiments, if a customer orders a shoe manufactured with a particularlast, the footwear supply unit 115 will be able to modify a stock shoefrom the footwear inventory 117 with the desired last from the lastinventor 121, even if the stock shoe had originally been manufacturedwith a differently shaped last.

With some embodiments of the invention, the footwear supply unit 115 mayinclude footwear constructed with differently shaped lasts, while thelast inventory 121 may include a variety of differently shaped lasts.For these embodiments, a last identifier can be used to uniquelyidentify each last employed to manufacture each item of footwear in thefootwear inventory 117. The last identifier can also be used to uniquelyidentify each last in the last inventory 121. With this arrangement, alast identifier will identify a particular last by its overall shape,length, width, and any other relevant size information. Identifying eachlast with a unique last identifier allows a customer 103 to orderfootwear constructed with a specific last that will ensure that thefootwear will fit properly. For example, the customer may specify that aparticular last from the last inventory 121 to be used to reform thesize of a shoe in the footwear inventory 117. Alternately, the customermay order existing footwear from the footwear inventory 117 based uponthe last that was used to manufacture the footwear.

A variety of different formats may be employed for the last identifier.For example, the last identifier may be a single alphanumeric value thatuniquely identifies a last. Thus, the number “128.255” may identify alast of a particular shape indicated by the number “12,” having a lengthof size 8¼, and a width of size “E” (the fifth letter in the alphabet).Alternately, the last identifier may be made up of a number of discreteportions, each corresponding to a particular characteristic of a last.Thus, the same last discussed in the previous example may be identifiedby the last identifier “Last 12, length 8¼, width E.”

Still further, if the same last shape is used to manufacture every sizeof a particular model of footwear, then that model of footwear can beused to inherently identify the last shape as part of the lastidentifier. For example, if every size of a footwear model “Air Potter”is originally constructed or reformed with the last of the particularshape indicated in the previous examples by the number “12,” then thelast identifier may be “Air Potter, length 8½ width E.” Of course, thoseof ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that still other formatscan be used to uniquely identify a last.

The operation of the distribution center 101 will now be described withreference to the method illustrated in FIG. 2. First, in step 201, theorder-receiving unit 113 receives an order 301 for footwear from acustomer 103. As noted above, the order 301 may be received using anyremote communication channel supported by the distribution center 101,including channels using a parcel system 105, a telephone system 107, anelectronic communication network 109 (for example, the Internet), anelectronic mail system 111, or any other suitable remote communicationchannel.

With some embodiments of the invention, the order 301 includes theordering information shown in FIG. 3A. More particularly, the footwearorder 301 includes a footwear model selection 303, designating theparticular model of footwear from the footwear inventory 117 desired bythe customer 103. The footwear model selection 303 may include, forexample, the model type and a desired color scheme. The order 301 alsoincludes a last identifier 305 to uniquely identify the last by whichthe customer 103 wishes to have the ordered shoes manufactured. The lastidentifier 305 identifies both the last shape and the last size, asnoted above. Still further, the order may contain additional relevantinformation, such as, for example, a name, initials or an image to becustom-applied to the ordered footwear.

As also previously noted, with other embodiments of the invention thefootwear model may inherently identify a single last shape. With theseembodiments, the order 301 will include footwear model and sizeinformation, as shown in FIG. 3B. That is, the order 301 will includethe footwear model selection 303, length size information 307, and widthsize information 309. This information together defines the particularlast size and shape used to construct the ordered footwear.

In step 203, the distribution center 101 determines if the footwearinventory 117 includes the footwear specified in the order 301. Moreparticularly, the distribution center 101 determines if the footwearinventory 117 contains footwear that has already been manufactured withthe last specified in the order 301. It should be noted that thisdetermination may be made by the order-receiving unit 117 upon receivingan order 301 from a customer 103, or by the footwear supply unit 115after receiving a customer's order 301 relayed by the order-receivingunit 117.

If the footwear is in the footwear inventory 117, then the distributioncenter 101 provides the footwear to the customer 103 directly from thefootwear inventory 117 in step 207. If the footwear specified in theorder 301 is not a size carried in the footwear inventory 117, then, instep 205, the footwear is manufactured in the footwear supply unit 115using the last identified in the order 301. That is, the last specifiedin the order 301 is selected from the last inventory 121, and used tomodify the size of footwear already included in the footwear inventory117. As noted above, this operation is discussed in detail in U.S. Pat.Nos. 5,714,098 and 5,879,725 to Daniel R. Potter, which wereincorporated entirely herein by reference above. Once the footwear hasbeen remolded to comply with the customer's order, then the distributioncenter 101 provides the footwear to the customer 103 in step 207.

It should be noted that the distribution center 101 can provide theordered footwear to the customer 103 in step 207 using any suitableshipping method. For example, the distribution center 101 can mail thecustom-fitted footwear directly to an address provided by the customerthrough a parcel service, such as the U.S. Postal Service, FederalExpress, or United Parcel Service. Alternately, the distribution center101 can ship the ordered footwear to a retail store, such as a storeassociated with the shoes' manufacturer. The customer 103 can then pickup the ordered footwear in person from retail store. The customer 103may select the appropriate retail store from a list of available retailstores, or may simply allow the distribution center 101 to determine theclosest retail store to the customer. Of course, still other techniquesfor shipping the ordered footwear to the customer will be apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art.

By using the distribution center 101 described above, a customer 103need only identify a particular last that the customer knows willprovide properly fitting footwear to confidently obtain custom-fittedfootwear. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art,a customer can determine which particular last or lasts that willprovide properly fitting footwear in a variety of ways. A customer 103may, for example, initially try on a variety of footwear to identify aparticular last that, when used to manufacture a shoe, offers the bestfit for the customer. After trying on a variety of footwear once todetermine a suitable last, the customer need not try on footwear again,but may instead simply order footwear made with the particular last.Alternately, the customer 103 may employ a measurement process, such asa digital scan of the customer's feet, to determine an appropriate lastthat will provide the customer with properly fitting shoes. Regardlessof the method of identifying the lasts that will provide custom-fittingfootwear, once the customer 103 has identified the lasts, the customer103 can employ the distribution center 101 to order footwear byreferring to that last.

Yet another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 4. Inthis figure, the distribution center 101 includes a customer/lastdatabase 125. As shown in FIG. 5, this customer/last database 125includes a table associating each customer 103 with at least one lastthat will provide the customer with custom fitting shoes. For example,in the table, the customer 103A is associated with the last specified bythe last identifier 128.255. Thus, the database 125 contains one or morerecords, with each record having a customer field identifying a customerand at least one last field identifying a last that will provide thecustomer with custom fitting footwear. With the customer/last database125, the customer can omit providing a last identifier when orderingfootwear. Instead, the customer need only identify himself or herself.The distribution center 101 can then use the customer/last database 125to identify a particular last that will provide custom-fitted footwearfor that customer, and manufacture the ordered footwear using the lastcorresponding to the customer. Thus, with this embodiment, thecustomer's order 301 may include only the footwear model selection 303and the customer identification 311 as shown in FIG. 3C. As will beappreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, the customer/lastdatabase 125 may be implemented using a software database, a written orprinted table, or any other suitable medium for storing customeridentity and last information.

In addition to storing customer identity and last information, thecustomer/last database 125 may also store any other type of informationthat may be useful to the customer or a shoe manufacturer associatedwith the distribution center 101. For example, for customers who aregrowing children, the customer/last database 125 may further store theage of the customer. This will allow the shoe manufacturer associatedwith the distribution center 101 to compile information for footmorphology studies regarding growth patterns, sizing information forspecific age groups, and other footwear related projects.

Of course, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that morethan one last can provide a customer with custom-fitting footwear. Thus,with some embodiments of the invention, a customer may identify two ormore lasts that will provide him or her with properly fitting footwear.The customer/last database 125 can then associate each last with thatcustomer, and the distribution center 101 can determine which last touse when manufacturing shoes for the customer. For example, the customermay identify a first last that provides the customer properly fittingfootwear when used to construct (or remold) hiking boots, and another,second last that provides the customer with properly fitting footwearwhen used to construct (or remold) basketball shoes. If the customerorders basketball shoes, the distribution center 101 will determine thatthe shoes should be remolded using the second last rather than the firstlast. Alternately, the customer can specify which of the suitable lastsshould be used to construct or remold ordered footwear.

In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that acustomer 103 can specify different lasts for the left and right shoes ina pair of footwear. For example, a customer may find that a shoemanufactured with a particular shape or size of last best fits his orher left foot, while a shoe manufactured with another shape or size oflast best fits his or her right foot. Accordingly, various embodimentsof the invention may allow a customer 103 to order footwear manufacturedwith different lasts used to manufacture the left and right shoes. Stillfurther, with various embodiments of the invention, the customer/lastdatabase 125 can associate different lasts with a customer's left andright feet.

While the invention has been described with respect to specific examplesincluding presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variationsand permutations of the above described systems and techniques that fallwithin the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shoe distribution center, comprising: an orderreceiving unit that receives orders from customers for footwear tocustom fit the customer, each order identifying at least one last; afootwear inventory containing a plurality of pieces of footwear in avariety of sizes, wherein an interior of each piece of footwearincorporates a moldable fit-component that allows that piece of footwearto be remolded to lengths and widths differing from that piece offootwear's original length and width; and a footwear manufacturing unitfor remolding lengths and widths of pieces of footwear in the footwearinventory using the lasts identified in orders received by the orderreceiving unit.
 2. The shoe distribution center recited in claim 1,wherein the footwear manufacturing unit includes: a last inventorycontaining a plurality of lasts that can be used to remold lengths orwidths of at least some of the pieces footwear in the footwearinventory; and a heating unit for heating the lasts to remold lengths orwidths of at least some of the pieces footwear in the footwearinventory.
 3. The shoe distribution center recited in claim 1, whereinthe order receiving unit includes a server computer for receiving ordersfor custom fitting footwear over an electronic communication network. 4.The shoe distribution center recited in claim 1, wherein the orderreceiving unit includes an automated voice menu system for receivingorders for custom fitting footwear over a telephone service.
 5. The shoedistribution center recited in claim 1, further comprising: acustomer/last database containing one or more customer records, whereineach record includes a customer field identifying a customer and atleast one last field identifying a last associated with the customer. 6.The shoe distribution center recited in claim 1, wherein the orderreceiving unit receives orders from customers including ordersidentifying at least one last by a last model number.
 7. A shoedistribution center, comprising: an order receiving unit that receivesorders from customers for footwear to custom fit the customer, eachorder identifying at least one last, wherein the order receiving unitincludes a server computer for receiving orders for custom fittingfootwear over an electronic communication network; a footwear inventorycontaining a plurality of pieces of footwear in a variety of sizes,wherein an interior of each piece of footwear incorporates a moldablefit-component that allows that piece of footwear to be remolded tolengths and widths differing from that piece of footwear's originallength and width; a last inventory containing a plurality of lasts thatcan be used to remold the moldable fit-components of at least some ofthe pieces footwear in the footwear inventory; and a footwearmanufacturing unit for remolding the moldable fit-components to changethe lengths and widths of the interiors of pieces of footwear in thefootwear inventory using the lasts identified in orders received by theorder receiving unit.
 8. The shoe distribution center recited in claim7, wherein the footwear manufacturing unit includes a heating unit forheating the lasts to remold the moldable fit components of at least someof the pieces footwear in the footwear inventory.
 9. The shoedistribution center recited in claim 7, further comprising: acustomer/last database containing one or more customer records, whereineach record includes a customer field identifying a customer and atleast one last field identifying a last associated with the customer.10. The shoe distribution center recited in claim 7, wherein the orderreceiving unit receives orders from customers including ordersidentifying at least one last by a last model number.